Cyber Knights: Flashpoint News

As Steam's Turn-Based RPG Fest rolls on this week, we're back with another update to fix some of the issues that snuck out the door with Monday's ERA storyline update, add a new proc-gen legwork option, improve legwork results and fix other minor bugs. Hopefully this will clear the deck from story bugs and we'll be back to adding new new new.

As always - thank you for playing our game or wishlisting if you're waiting. If you have given the game a try and like the way we are conducting Early Access (152 updates!?!?) and are enjoying the game, please leave a review. The small team here thanks you!


[h2]ERA Story Fixes[/h2]
We've turned around two important fixes for the ERA content with Update #152. The first was that during one of the stories, two mercs could end up becoming friends but ... each is friend only with themself. How funny yet lonely :D This is now resolved in all games old and new, they are friends with each other!

The second major issues was - depending on a few factors - the recruitable characters could have some key implants switched. The Hacker had the Scourges special implant ... thievery! Give that back! And ... fixed in all games, old and new.
 
Third, there were some points in the story where a character's Loyalty was boosted but a code bug prevented it from happening. This will have positive affect with a few other storylines in the game as well as this Loyalty bump was globally being skipped in certain storyline paths.

Fourth, we fixed a heaping pile of small dialog mistakes, flubs and name switches. Thanks for the F10s to help us clean up and improve here.


[h2]Proc-Legwork[/h2]
In Update #151, we added a system for proc-gen Legwork, allowing contacts who are less likely to offer r regular missions another way to offer you work that benefits them, offers Favor and Influence and tells more of a story about how the New Boston Underworld works.

With Update #152, we've added a second proc-gen legwork option with some different twists in it, new options and a new premise around a megacorporate employee who is illegally supplying your Contact who is involved in medical, drugs, crafting or hovertruck transport with stolen goods and data.


In addition, we've pushed proc-gen Legwork (which we see as something that has a very healthy road for expansion) to be on its own "story schedule." In Update #150, it shared the schedule with regular story Vignettes, so drawing a proc-gen legwork would bump a story vignette back a bit and proc-gen legworks (few in number) were competing with the larger pool of vignettes and not appearing enough. So, we've pushed them to their own throttled story schedule and you should see them more regularly.


[h2]Legwork Results / Favors[/h2]
In addition, we've done more work to improve event logs around Legwork to capture all the changes in world / contact / character state in the log event. And, finally we've bumped the standard Legwork result of gaining +1 Favor up to +2 Favors which feels a lot more valuable and makes it worth the time for your merc and your risk.

In addition, we've reinforced the negative result of taking Injury Time as a result of Legwork. If you end up with Injury, you always make a Stress roll as well (resisted by Stress Res) to suffer an extra +10% Stress.

[h2]v1.8.115 - 10/2/2024[/h2]
- Fixed issue with mercs becoming friends with themselves in latest Era storyline
- Fixed issue with Scourge and Hacker recruit sometimes having swapped implants (!?!?)
- Fixed issue with some moments in the story failing to grant Loyalty bonus as described
- Adjusted proc-gen Legwork schedule so that it doesn't compete with story vignettes
- Added second proc-gen Legwork offered by Doctors/Splicers/Dopers/Crafters/Hovertruck Operators
- Standard legwork bonus for Favors has been raised from +1 Favor to +2 Favors
- When failing legwork and taking Injury time, make +10% Stress roll
- Improved logging of Legwork success / failure and results
- Fixed rare bug that could cause a reinforcement squad not to appear at all for megacorporate enemy
- Fixed a heaping pile of typos and minor text mistakes

Welcome to Steam's Turn-Based RPG Fest! We're going to have a crusher of a week with a ton of new content coming online and we are kicking it off with a blast of new stories for the Treaty '31 ERA in New Boston. These new storylines include new recruits, new challenges, new types of map interactions and of course, chances to make new enemies, allies and form bonds within your team and beyond that will last into the rest of your career. We've also added an exciting proc-gen Legwork system that has been cooking for a while and more.

Thanks to everyone playing, wishlisting and reviewing Cyber Knights. We're in Early Access right now and we're BUSY. So, if EA isn't your think, wishlist us. If you're in playing, please take a minute to leave a review when you get far enough to help share your experiences with others. If you have an issue, hit F10 in the game to send in a bug report or feedback.


[h2]ERA Storylines[/h2]
As in our previous RPG, Star Traders: Frontiers, the major story events of the world and New Boston are organized into "Eras". These major story happenings stem from a compelling event and then having lasting ripples and tremors that can have major story effects on your team and contacts.

The first ERA, the Treaty '31 Era starts with the major political and economic shift that allows the major German conglomerate Warner-Braun to establish sovereign territory in New Boston and operate within its economic zone. For a treaty city that has had a mostly static megacorporate landscape for the last 30 years, this is a major shake up and the power players on both sides of the line are scrambling to find their new footing.

This ERA sets the context of a lot of the proc-gen missions that you can play in the game and a number of the existing storylines. But with Update #151, we've added another big batch of storylines that can stem from it.

Of course, as is always our goal, this content will immediately be added to all saved games - old and new. For older saved games, the storylines might feel a little disconnected from where your team is at, as they are designed to be filtered into the game during the beginning of the Treaty '31 ERA, but they should play very nicely.

[h2]New Recruits, New Traits[/h2]
The ERA '31 content includes the possibilities to pick up 2 new recruits to help round out your squad. This is a continual growth point for the game, which does not yet feature proc-gen recruits. These new recruits are both accessible via larger storylines and come with their own hefty backstories and baggage.

We'll leave you to the fun of finding them!


[h2]Proc-Gen Legworks[/h2]
With this update we've released the first set of proc-gen Legworks. These non-mission tasks that your team takes let you investigate, intimidate, steal, bribe and manipulate the underworld and its denizens in ways that aren't exactly tactical.

Up until now, Legworks have all been part of larger storylines or associated with missions. With Update #151, we've rolled out the first repeatable Legwork, which is a new pathway to gain Favors and Influence with Contacts who are less likely to ask for missions from you. This Legwork can attached to be and be offered by Contacts like Street Docs, Splicers, Dopers, Drug Runners and Moneylenders. After a generous cool-down, it may reappear in the game again with slightly changed parameters and probably offered by a different contact.

More of these will be coming which will give you more chances to keep your team busy, actually be too busy for your own good, and to earn those key Favors for later.


[h2]Enemies Dropping Keys[/h2]
We're excited to add a new possible wrinkle to levels that involve Red, Blue or Gold key doors. The new mission content for the ERA '31 storylines includes a map in which enemy captains can drop a Red Key on death. While there are other ways to get the Red Key door open, surprising and quietly killing or just guns-blazing steamrolling either of the enemy captains may be your your way of getting the key and progressing farther into the mission.

We will not be using this feature for regular or valuable loot, it will be reserved for keys and other story relevant items. Especially in a turn-based game, we don't to require you to be spending turns running around picking up stuff off the ground.


[h2]New Cyberware Services / Implants[/h2]
Some of the storylines in the new ERA Treaty '31 content may introduce you to splicers who offer new services for implanted cybernetics. These services will branch off their own way, providing different set of options, improvements and increase in service level via Contact Limit Breaks like all services.

The service levels currently offer 6 new implants, among which you'll find 2 entirely new classes of implants added - HeadMem and Recoil Tri-Anks). Both fit into slots that are already in use (fast brain and legs) which ups the competition in these areas for what you'll build out. HeadMem allows Hackers to consider other balance angles on how to run their deck and Recoil Tri-Anks offer the foundation of a Recoil solution for non-Soldiers or ... offer to make your Full Auto Soldier even more ridiculous than they already are!


[h2]On-going Map & Balance Tweaks[/h2]
We're continuing to review the maps, patrol paths and reinforcement points for all levels in the set. We've made some tweaks to Wreckspire and Dusted Hover-Evac starting setups as well as fixed issues with reinforcement points that were oddly placed or only producing 2 enemies in a number of levels.

For the recent add to the Free Streets Compact (FSC) faction, we've adjusted the Po-Bot's HP totals, which were too high for their "refurbished drone" status.

[h2]v1.8.113 - 9/30/2024[/h2]
- Added 3 new storylines that fill in the Treaty '31 Story Era - new missions, new allies, new enemies
- Two new recruits stemming from Treaty '31 stories
- Additional Treaty '31 stories and a capstone story will follow soon
- Added proc-gen Legwork system, some legworks can occasionally repeat, new paths to gain Favors/Influence with Contacts
- First proc-gen Legwork offered by Doctors/Splicers/Dopers/Moneylenders
- Added new cybernetic service for Imported Implants and 6 new implants, 2 new types (HeadMem, Recoil Tri-Anks)
- Adjusted / reduced the recovery time for some classes of cybernetics by 10-20%
- Added 2 new Hacker-focused character Traits - Synth Weaver and Fortified Receptors
- Added new ability for specific enemies to drop Red/Blue/Gold Key on maps when they die
- Improved description of Sniper's Deathwatch reaction shots
- Improved balance and HP pools for FSC Po-Bot enemies who were too tough
- Fixed some reinforcement points that were spawning odd 2 enemy groups

Sunday is a nice lazy day for an update! We're excited to be hitting a point in the balancing cycle to be coming back to some systems and giving them a second pass of improvements. Probably all of these major areas will get a few more passes before they've really settled, but this is great time to be really tweaking and tuning. In the last few updates, we've been hammering on loot and Blueprint distribution and Account selling for Influence and today it is time for Secondary Objective rewards. We've rebalanced the requirements (Sec Level or Turn count atm) and increased the rewards (more Favors, more Influence, more XP, etc) and tweaked the weighting for all the reward types (better Blueprint distribution, Influence more likely). It should be a nice upgrade to help make these stick out and be very attractive to work harder to get.

Thanks to everyone stepping up to post an F10, post a thread on the Steam forums, join our Discord and especially for posting a review. We are a tiny indie studio, so your energy, your shares, and just talking to you goes a long way to keep us moving forward at this pace!


[h2]Secondary Objectives: Extended, Boosted, Re-weighted[/h2]
We've hit a number of big points within the secondary objectives system. These are to help balance out the options, rewards and limits that are in place today but also to prep the system for new types of secondary objectives and rewards that will be coming online in the following month.

First, we've increased the top range of all of the rewards. Where you could only get 10% extra payment or XP before, it can swing as high as 20% now. You can get +2 Favors instead of just +1, and the Influence Bonus can go as high as +30%. The variation in rewards is nice to see but when they hit high, it is great to put extra spotlight on the value of that objective.

We've also adjusted the weighting when picking what reward should be paired with which objective. For Blueprint rewards, we've cut Item Blueprints completely out of the rollers (they were rare, but did exist) and put the priority on Weapons and Weapon Mods with Armor being a bit rarer now.

Also, we've pushed the chances that Favor and Influence are picked as secondary objective rewards over Contact Trust. This dovetails nicely with other work to provide more paths to additional Influence - when you see a +30% extra Influence bonus on a secondary objective to stay under Sec Level 2 ... and the mission comes with a standard +10% Influence ... if you can pull this mission off in a stealthy style, you'll net basically half a Limit Break in one swing! Get the Vanguards!

We've also addressed a number of places where the map wasn't providing enough detail to the secondary objective system to help it adjust limits - like how many Turns you need to CPU Spike a matrix host in the Trucker HQ ... you need more Turns! Hopefully the adjustment will make these challenging but always within the envelope of possible.

As mentioned above, the next time we return to secondary objectives will be to add more variation in the objective types which will be exciting to see other types of demands that can be side-loaded into mission for that extra spice and challenge.


[h2]Fixing Account Issues[/h2]
There were a number of different issues with selling Accounts that could cause the Influence gains of +20% not to work. In Update #149, the full +20% only applied if you traded the Account for Favors and also if you sold repeatedly to the same Contact, the Influence boost could be erased.

We've resolved all of these issues with #150 for a much smoother Account handling experience and also improved the UI so that the type of account you're selling is front and center on the sale window.
 

[h2]Better Job Expiration Logs[/h2]
The event log for an expiring job now includes the Contact who offered it along with the name, making the log significantly more useful in tracking the action.


[h2]Looting Hack Missions[/h2]
Some looting hack missions continued to reference CPU Spiking in their dialog even though there was no need to spike any CPUs. This is now resolved in Update #150.

[h2]v1.8.111 - 9/28/2024[/h2]
- Improved secondary objective mission rewards - larger rewards, better variation, improved max Turn limits
- Rewards for secondary objectives have more variation and can go higher (+10-20% XP/Profit, +10-30% Influence, or +1-2 Favors)
- Chances of rolling bonus Favors or Influence for secondary objective reward higher than bonus Trust
- Adjusted weighting for secondary objective mission reward Blueprints - Weapons and Weapon Mods most likely, Armors more rare, never Items
- Improved/fixed some cases where Secondary Objective for Turn Limit was basically impossible on some maps
- Sale offer for Epic/Legendary Account states which one it is, fixed bug where Influence boost might not be granted
- Expired mission log event now includes name of the job and the contact, if there was one
- Fixed dialog at end of Hacking for Loot mission that said you Spiked the CPU

Update #149 comes as another step forward in working on balancing out the game's overall progression. We've switched momentarily from loot to contact Limit Break rules to boost how you can get Influence from Accounts to do, to open up more pathways on existing Contact types and to prep for some new pathways coming. We've also added easy access to Armor Blueprint sales from the start of the game so you can cash in on these and 2 lower Power Level Cyber Heart implants that are easy to access without needing to grind a splicer to Level 4 service.

A huge thanks to everyone taking the time to share feedback with us during these critical months of Early Access. We're continuing to improve, grinding and polish the game every day. If you're enjoying the game, please take a minute to leave a review to help us continue our work. Remember, you can always edit it later.


[h2]Legendary Accounts Boost 20%[/h2]
With Update #149, we've kicked in a differentiator between Epic and Legendary Accounts. While the recipient Contact will gain Influence, we've now stepped Legendary Accounts up to a +20% Influence boost while Epic is staying at +10%.

We are hard at work preparing the other paths that are needed to ensure that all Contacts have multiple way to assist and back them up to gain Limit Breaks, so some new and exciting pathways are coming, but we wanted to get Accounts straightened out first.


[h2]Service Upgrades for Many Contacts[/h2]
With this update, we've gone back through the contact catalog and looked for those types that were just missing something - Blueprints, File or Accounts or whatever type of service was needed. We've upgraded 7 contact types, which will become immediately available in all existing and new games.

• Street Doc and Splicer both now have more interest in Files and Accounts. Splicer's like the corporate versions and Doctors are interested in Files as well, a great way to generate Favors if you can find the right files
  
• Gang Bosses are now interested in buying Armor Blueprints, giving everyone an easy channel to sell these immediately in the game
  
• Overboss, Underworld Fixer, Night Club Owner all have gained interest in different Accounts and Files
  
• Dockmaster contact now is a veritable hub of different types of trade - selling items, buying Blueprints, Files and Accounts.
  

Again, as always these changes will snap into effect as soon as you load your game, so check out what new options you have to pile up Favors and increase influence where it is needed most.


[h2]New Lower Level Cyber Hearts[/h2]
In Update #146, we added a 4th service level to the Street Doc and Splicer cybernetic catalog including implants in the cybernetic heart slot for the first time. We're working to improve ways to help your splicers Limit Break to climb this cybernetic services ladder but we also don't want to miss the opportunity to fill in and expand the earlier service levels.

With Update #149, we've added a Sys 1.0 version of both the TitanHeart and the RegenCore that provide their unique effects (HP and Wound Res boost for the TitanHeart and Injury reduction for the RegenCore) at more moderate Power Level 2 stats. These become available one each at the service levels 2 and 3, so most players should be able to get access to them readily and expand your overall cybernetic bristle.


[h2]Fixed Dusted Hover-Evac Kill 3 Bug[/h2]
We fixed an issue with the matrix terminal that could appear on the rooftop in some of the variations of the Kill 3 objective for Dusted Hover-Evac level. Previously this terminal would freeze up the game and require a force quit. Now it pops a nice message stating that it is broken (BUG) and lets you get back to playing immediately.

The terminal is fixed for future iterations of the mission, but if you have a mission where it is bugged it cannot be fixed but it is optional, so just skip it and move on.

[h2]v1.8.109 - #149: TitanHeart - 9/26/2024[/h2]
- Added 2 new cybernetics to lower service tiers: TitanHeart Sys 1.0, RegenCore Sys 1.0
- Selling high Rarity accounts to Contacts has more impact, +10% for Epic Account, +20% for Legendary
- Improved existing routes to help Contacts achieve limit breaks in all new and existing games
- Improved Contact purchase services for Street Doc, Splicer - easier to sell Accounts and Files
- Improved Contact purchase services for Gang Boss, now interested in Armor Blueprints
- Improved Contact purchase services for Overboss, Underworld Fixer, Dockmaster, Night Club Owner
- Fixed issue in Dusted Hover-Evac where terminal could lock-up on Kill 3 Captains - if you hit it, skip terminal

Update #148 comes ripping out of the gate with a key UI change that helps demystify some of the results of weapon crafting, a nice change to the Roster UI, removes the Sec Tally penalty for using Vanguard's Lure, adds a new proc-gen map and objective combo, improves ability for controller players to see hovers, adds a nice matrix log when you scan the CPU and more!

It is Early Access - and all we know how to do is keep moving forward, fast. We're building, testing and pushing content at a pretty good pace (daily??) and we hope you'll take a moment to consider giving the game a review. Remember, you can always edit it later!


[h2]Crafted Weapon Mod Visibility[/h2]
Update #148 finally reveals all game details about all weapon mods that are added by crafting, of any type, even in the high order slots (4-6). This update eliminates the mystery about any bonus Intrinsic mod that is rolled for the weapon, as well as making it easy to remember the stats of any Intrinsic Blueprint you crafted onto the weapon itself.



Up to a maximum of 6 mods are now shown for each weapon, if they exist. We hope this will answer so many of your questions about what booster Intrinsic mods do and more. The next major step is to add a crafting results pop-up for those complicated crafts that include booster Intrinsic rolls so that the results can be shown directly without having to go diggin in your inventory.


In order to make space for this larger loadout, we've moved the messages panel (which was kind of hard to find in the bottom right) into the top spot at the start of the Main Info tab, making it as front and center as we can.


[h2]Vanguard's Lure + Agent EX Shadow = 0 Tally[/h2]
We've made a big balance changes to Vanguard's Lure and Agent EX's Shadow Talents, further allowing them to maintain their silent and stealthy approach even while working directly against the enemy patrollers and security. Vanguard's Lure Talent and EX's Shadow Talent always caused +1 Tally when used, which could be canceled by killing the guard or by K-Protocol, but it was a small, challenging cost to tamp down when you want to use Lure repeatedly to manipulate and soften enemy positions.

This moves empowers the stealthy aspects of these two classes for the better, especially when stacking up on multiple charges.


[h2]New Proc-Gen Battle Striker Map[/h2]
We're now switching our attention to the 2 maps in the proc-gen rotation that appear the most rarely of all - Interchange H and Urban HQ. Before Update #148, these two maps only appeared for Assassinate VIP objectives, basically making them invisible in the larger rotation.

With Update #148, we've started assaulting their isolated position with new proc-gen combos - bringing Interchange H into the Battle Strike objective group.

This latest drive of proc-gen combos is also focusing on the two most under-served objective types - Bodyguard and Battle Strike - each of which had 2 maps each before. We won't rest until they're buried in maps - so let's go!

[h2]Gamepad Hover[/h2]
With Update #148, we've added a global hover assist for controller players. If you leave an item selected for half a second that has a hover, then the hover will appear. This is a big help in areas like the character load outs in the roster that really need hover data to be truly functional.

Let us know how it feels! If it is too heavy for some players, we could add an option to disable the feature but it does show some critical information.

[h2]CPU Scanning Log[/h2]
When you scan a CPU from a nearby node, the matrix UI gives basically no indication that you did something special. There is only one type of node that can resist a remote scan, so you don't have a bug, you have an obvious tell - that's a CPU. The important thing is that you have to go into the CPU blind (Scan 0/2) but it is intended to be a clear indicator that you've got a CPU on your hands. We're going to be working on the visual and UI feedback around this point, but we've completed the first step with this update - to add a Matrix log entry stating that you've hit the CPU and that it resists remove Scans.


[h2]Wreckspire Fixes[/h2]
We've fixed a few issues with Wreckspire patrols, security devices and one important bug with the terminals appearing during the Kill 3 Captains objective sometimes not allowing a hack but instead freezing the hacker's turn.


[h2]T-Pose Blade[/h2]
We fixed a very old bug with this update where a character wielding a melee weapon would go into a T-Pose instead of making an attack animation if the enemy was higher or lower elevation (on stairs, etc). This issue is related to aiming code and animation that helps those with guns point their weapon up or down but was causing a real mess with swords.

[h2]v1.8.107 - 9/24/2024[/h2]
- Adjusted roster display - moved character messages to the top of Main Info tab
- Improved weapon display in load out to show all weapon mods (up to 6) including all types added by crafting
- Vanguard's Lure Talent and Agent EX Shadow Talent no longer cause +1 Tally when used
- Added new proc-gen map and objective combo: Interchange H and Battle Strike objective
- Adjusted UI to show hover for elements when using keyboard or gamepad after 1/2 second delay
- Added a matrix log entry when attempting to scan CPU remotely "CPU located but resisted remote Scan"
- Fixed broken terminals in some Wreckspire in Kill 3 Captains objective
- Fixed animation bug where sword attack would not swing if target was above or below
- Fixed mismatch in program name in warning when unloading a required program
- Fixed error entering cyberdeck screen for the first time